Astros first baseman Carlos Lee went 0-for-4 against the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon.

Astros first baseman Carlos Lee went 0-for-4 against the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon.

Photo: Gus Ruelas

Astros' road woes continue with loss to Dodgers

1 / 2

Back to Gallery

LOS ANGELES - It's not the Holy Grail, but the search has taken the Astros from sea to sea.

The Astros could swear there's a place out there they can win a road series. The search continues - next stop: Colorado - after a 5-1 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon.

A crowd of 33,306 saw Astros second baseman Jose Altuve triple on lefthander Chris Capuano's first pitch. That matched the number of hits the Astros managed in the remaining 131 pitches by Capuano and relievers Josh Lindblom and Javy Guerra.

J.A. Happ allowed two earned runs and struck out 10 - nine with runners in scoring position - in 61⁄3 innings and was only the second-most effective lefthander to take the mound. Afterward, Happ did a slow burn over the Astros' failure to win a road series for the seventh consecutive time.

On Friday, the Astros had gained the upper hand by beating Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. On Saturday, the Astros lost on a walk-off home run in the ninth inning. On Sunday, the team with the best record in the majors (32-15) took the lead for good on a home run that tipped off the glove of leaping Astros center fielder Justin Maxwell.

"First-place team, man," Happ said, shaking his head. "I wanted to get the series. I wanted to come up big for us. It's just frustrating we came up just a little short. That's a heck of a ballclub, and I thought we had a good chance to take the series from them."

Rockies update: Home hasn't been sweet for the Rockies. Their 9-14 record at Coors is the second-worst home record in the National League. The Rockies are third in the NL in scoring and last in runs allowed, sporting a bloated 5.16 ERA with 54 homers surrendered. The lowest ERA among Rockies starters (4.70) belongs to lefty Drew Pomeranz, who is in the minors working out problems with his delivery.

Player to watch: Carlos Gonzalez - The outfielder belted two home runs in a 7-5 loss to the Reds on Sunday, giving him 10 for the season to go with a .302 average and 36 RBIs. The Astros kept him in check in the season-opening series (3-for-13, .231), and they've handled him far better than most (.196/.224/.357 line, with two home runs and seven RBIs in 58 at-bats).

Astros 3, Dodgers 1

The tipping point: Matt Treanor led off the fourth with a drive to deep center, and the ball tipped off the glove of Justin Maxwell and went over the wall. That home run broke a 1-1 tie, putting the Dodgers ahead for good. Jerry Hairston was a constant Astros menace with his first career five-hit game, raising his average from .328 to .381.

On the mound: J.A. Happ gave the Astros a chance to win, allowing two earned runs in a 61⁄3-inning, 116-pitch outing. Xavier Cedeno faced one batter in his return to the majors, turning an 0-2 count on Bobby Abreu into a bases-loaded walk. Enerio Del Rosario got the Astros out of the seventh with a double-play grounder, only to get roughed up for two runs in the eighth.

At the plate: Jose Altuve had an extra-base hit – this one a leadoff triple – and came around to score in the first inning for the third consecutive game. After that, the Astros did a lot of lunging against crafty lefthander Chris Capuano. Their second hit didn't come until the sixth - a two-out single by Jed Lowrie. After a walk by J.D. Martinez, Carlos Lee hit a smash up the middle that pitcher Chris Capuano deflected and retrieved to make the play at first that kept the Dodgers ahead 2-1.

Under the radar: Happ has settled in nicely with Chris Snyder behind the plate. Happ has turned in three consecutive quality starts with Snyder behind the plate, allowing three earned runs in 181⁄3 innings to lower his ERA from 5.72 to 4.37. Pitching aggressively and more decisively with his fastball, Happ has struck out 20 and walked five in those three starts.

Steve Campbell

The Astros' chances began to ebb as Capuano took command of the strike zone, changed speeds and got the Astros lunging and chasing. Capuano (7-1) allowed two hits and two walks while striking out eight, lowering his ERA to 2.14.

"He sits on the corners, and his changeup is good," Maxwell said. "He can throw it for chase, and he can throw it for strikes. He's kind of like Jamie Moyer in a sense, just because his command and his changeup."

Altuve's triple - just out of the diving reach of center fielder Tony Gwynn - gave the Astros reason to hope they would have some kind of spark. The next batter, Jed Lowrie, hit a smash up the middle that turned into a run-scoring groundout because of a diving stop and quick throw by shortstop Dee Gordon.

"If you ask me, that was a huge play in the game," Astros manager Brad Mills said. "We had something going, he smoked the ball hard, and Capuano was still trying to find it."

It usually doesn't take Capuano long to find it at Dodger Stadium, where he is 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA in five starts this season. The Astros' other hit was a two-out single by Lowrie in the sixth.

Translator

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.